In your eyes, there's a heavy blue

It was her favorite time of year, and being in the past made her love the up and coming winter all the more. The smell of fresh wood burning, the sound of cold water rushing in the streams. The feel of the cool, clean weather rushing through her thick hair with smells that awakened what seemed to be some part of her soul. She was calm and happy, considering they were still chasing a spider, still dealing with Kikyo and her unstable loyalties and still dealing with almost dying every day but not dying as luck would have it. At least she considered it luck.

Time could not touch her, and she seemed to always, just at the right time, elude death. No matter how hard anyone tried, Kagome could not be swayed or killed or tainted, and no one questioned why until yesterday. Well, technically, he had questioned her person when he had first met her perhaps in blind foresight?

Naraku should have died yesterday. Kikyo should have returned to the ash she was, and Kagome should have returned to what they all called her time. But none of that happened. He found their relaxed state annoying, their lack of why confusing. This had gone on long enough; three years of this was long enough. This was not living; this was surviving, and he was about over that. His father would not have let this go on, and his mother was reminding him of that fact every day.

While he noted her odd ways and future knowledge, he never questioned the answer; everyone seemed to come up with. She was the reborn soul of Kikyo. It seemed plausible, and he didn't really care enough to object it. But he saw something yesterday that he had not seen before in Naraku. He had seen it in Kikyo, but not in Naraku. Fear.
Kikyo feared Kagome for reasons he didn't, nor did he care to really understand. No one really feared her, well perhaps wanting her dead was fearing her, or at least of what she could do. He didn't fear, but he did respect the power she seemed to hold. No one had ever landed a shot on him till her.

But yesterday, before the battle even really began, he saw something flash in Naraku like some type of knowledge had just been revealed to him that seemed to make him second guess his judgment. He hesitated, backed off, vanished. Sesshomaru saw fear. It wasn't because he was there, or because Inuyasha was there. It was because she was there. Just three days after some bitch tried to suck up Kagome's soul for reasons to do with time, from what little he gathered from the group in travel.

Kagome had half of the jewel and the man so hell-bent on getting it stalled. Why.

Why did people want her dead, why did Naraku stall, why did Kikyo fear her so much? Why was time an odd subject when it came to her? How did the jewel get five hundred years to the future?

Sesshoamru stopped walking, the Miko looking at set jewel as they made their way down another road.

For the first time ever, he began to question their theory of her being Kikyo. Why five hundred years? It didn't make sense, especially since..

His eyes moved to the dead one. Kikyo was dead. His lips parted, as realization dawned on him. She could not be Kikyo's reincarnation. There had to be a connection, no matter how small there had to be a connection for a soul the be reborn, especially when it came to Mikos. Kagome was born in a time and place way outside their time and space, outside any relevance to all this.

Kikyo never had children; her sister never had children, which meant their bloodline would end way before Kagome could ever be born. How could a girl be born in a future where there was no magic, no power, and no demons and have the last remaining magic on earth? It had to come from somewhere. They were missing something.

Kagome stopped and looked back; she tilted her head, her scarf covering her neck. "Something wrong?"

Sesshomaru looked at her, really looked at her. Her dark wavy hair, her bright green eyes, the pink power radiating around her.

"Sesshomaru?" She said again, they all stopped walking at this point. Sesshoamru looked at Kikyo. She stood unmoved by the cold weather, probably because she was a walking corpse. But he looked her over as well. Though he did not know her in life, he was told her demeanor was not much different than now. Souls didn't work that way. A soul was who you were, your fabric, your power, your connection, dare he even say your heart.

These two women could not be farther apart from each other. They were different in every way, in every aspect, but the biggest was Kagome's ability to care, her compassion.

So they claimed to love the same man, and they both had power, just because she could undo Kikyo's power did not mean it was Kikyo's power.

It just meant Kagome was stronger. He started to wonder just how strong she was, just how powerful she was or how powerful she could be. Was she fooling them all, or was she just that clueless? He felt like a fool suddenly, and in his musing and glare at Kikyo, he missed Kagome walking right up to him, "Hello, earth to Sesshomaru?" She waved her hand, and he snatched it, making her jump. He looked at her in her eyes, and she became unnerved rather quickly "I'm sorry," She whispered.

"Io, Sesshomaru, let her go!" Inuyasha yelled, making his way back.

Sesshoamru lifted his other hand and blasted Inuyasha back. Kagome turned, "Sesshomaru, what are you doing?"

He yanked her closer, making her look back at him, and he stared her down, narrowing his eyes, watching her power rise up to defend all on its own. Her friends got into position ready to fight for her.

"Something is wrong," Miroku stated firm,

But Sesshomaru loosened his grip and leaned in. Kagome swallowed and stayed very still as Sesshomaru took in a deep breath and then leaned back "You are not her,"

"Her?" Kagome questioned and then she looked back at Kikyo, then back at him "I know that" She whispered, "I'm Kagome?" She wondered if he hit his head?

"Kagome," He repeated, it was the first time she had ever heard him say her name.

"What the hell is going on with you!" Inuyasha stood back up,

"Tell me, Miko, what is the name of your family?"

"Higurashi?"

"Aw man, why did you go and tell him that, he's probably gonna kill them now, you idiot!" Inuyasha made a fist,

"Why you interested in her all the sudden anyway, Sesshomaru?"

He looked at them all "I do not trust you,"

Miroku rose an eyebrow, that was not new information they already knew that.

Kagome pulled on her arm "Sesshoamru, let go,"

He looked at her "I do not trust you,"

She stopped, "What?" She looked hurt by his words.

"I shall find out what you are Miko,"

He let her go and did her a once over again, making her step back. Then in a quick flick of his wrist, he was gone. Kagome held her wrist; she could still feel the tingle of his hand where her power meant to burn him; he had been unphased by the sting meant to protect her.

Inuyasha walked up to her, "What the hell was that all about?"

She didn't know, but it scared her.

"Io, why you shaking, are you surprised he doesn't trust you?"

Perhaps not surprised but his words were cold and distant "No, but I thought we were at least friends,"

"K, bastard dont have any friends,"

Kikyo walked up "You may be your own person Miko, but be not fooled by his words; you are my reincarnation,"

"I do not trust you.." His words played in her head, and suddenly she distrusted Kikyo even more.

"Come on, let's go," Inuyasha assumed the lead again, and everyone started to follow. Kagome looked back one last time as a harsh wind blew her hair about. She frowned with sadness, her happy mood stolen. Winter felt cold suddenly, down to her bones; this feeling went.

He watched as she finally turned and walked away. He would find out, and he would test her power. He wanted to know who she was just as much as he wanted to know what she was because there was no way she was just a mere human, no there was to much power around her for that, too much that could not touch her. Sesshomaru looked down at his hand. The burn was healing, but it wasn't his power healing him, the same power that burned now twinkled pink with healing powers.

She had no meant to hurt him, but this was amazing and made him caution the lies surrounding her even more. He believed in many things, but luck surrounding her was not one of them; it was wasn't luck keeping her alive it was power a driving force around her a magnetic pull that seemed to have people ready to defend her without regard for their own life. It was like the universe wanted her protected by any means and by anybody necessary.

Well to hell with that, he wasn't going to be one of them because Sesshomaru always did as he pleased and gray spaces did not please him because the most powerful power you can have is knowledge especially of your enemy and until he could know her, see her for what she really was he was deeming her an enemy.

No, she was more than an enemy. She was dark matter.